| Current Articles |
09.05.08
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| Gareth Thomas updates Tuning Manual |
| <by Editor> |
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Soon to be available again [more]
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| GT6 PI |
| <by Geoff> |
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Progress picks from my GT6 rebuild and conversion to 2.5PI engine [more]
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| Gone racing |
| <by Editor> |
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Well, I finally stopped being a Gunner and done it - I went racing on the weekend. [more]
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| Progress on my Spit 6 |
| <by Editor> |
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I'll try to keep this article up to date as work progresses on my Spit 6. Last updated 24 May 2006. [more]
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| Update on Tim Clune's car |
| <by Editor> |
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Tim has sent me some details on the progress on his Mk1 [more]
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| Anytime now |
| <by Andre Rousseau> |
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After years of waiting, the GT6 is almost ready. [more]
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| Neil Rolls' GT6 Mk 3 |
| <by Editor> |
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Some details and photos of a very nice GT6 Mk 3 from the UK. [more]
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| Lo-Tec Suspension Tuning |
| <by John Davies> |
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Rear Suspension Tuning, The Lo-Tec Way [more]
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[content archives]
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| My Spit 6 |
A Work in Progress... |
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This article originally appeared in Spitfire
& GT6 Magazine Issue #4, Volume 1. I have reused & added to it to try
and keep it up to date and accurate.
This was a car bought very much with the heart not the head. The ad read
"Convertible GT6 Triumph, rare, part restored, some reg" and then an exorbitant
price. A more accurate ad would have been "Triumph Spitfire, partly converted
to GT6 running gear, mostly butchered, partly tarted up". The problem was I
wanted it the second I saw it...
I have been around Triumphs for a lot of my life. My father has a penchant for
classics and in his time has owned an MG TC, a Triumph TR4, a Mk2 Jaguar, a
couple of Jaguar XJs and numerous Triumph 2500 sedans. He is currently
restoring a TR6 and a Jaguar E-Type. So it was no surprise that when it came
time for me to buy a car, it was a Triumph. A Mk2 2.5 PI Sedan to be precise, a
car that I owned and enjoyed for many years, but I really wanted a convertible.
I've always liked the TRs and Spitfires, and in the midst of a restoration of a
TR6 (the car my Dad is now finishing) I started to look for a Spitfire. It was
a while before one came on the market, and the above ad caught my attention one
Saturday in February of 1996.
I rang the seller, and it was reasonably obvious that he wasn't a 100% on what he had, so I went around to have a look. When I got there this
wonderful little red sports car was sitting there waiting for me. It was
perfect, red exterior, black interior, Mk3 Spitfire body, Mk2 GT6 bonnet,
hardtop (with the all important glass), good softtop, later model seats and custom GT6-like dash. OK so it was
a little rough around the edges (understatement of the century) but after
taking it for a drive I was hooked. It went like a rocket and was a lot of fun
to drive. So I swapped my trusty 2.5 PI and too much cash for what I was about
to find out was a major money pit.
On getting it home I discovered the following:
-
That custom dash I had admired was just a piece of wood screwed to a thin lip
of metal - somebody had just cut out the Mk3 dash and hadn't welded in new
metal;
-
It was a Spitfire body (chassis is origin unknown, assumed Spitfire), with a
GT6 bonnet;
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The engine was from a Triumph 2000 Sedan, but was on "custom" mounts - these
were there to raise the engine slightly as someone had fitted a home-made
baffled sump;
-
The radiator is of unknown origin, but seems to be coping;
-
The gearbox was at least GT6;
-
Unfortunately the suspension & brakes weren't;
-
The wiring was totally butchered, and even burnt in places;
-
It was missing some items, like the console.
It wasn't all bad news though. The engine had good compression and ran
flawlessly, the body is basically straight (the bonnet exhibits signs of the
DPO closing the bonnet with items on the engine, as well as stress tears around
the edge, and you can tell people have leant against the doors to lean in to
the car) and only has one small rust spot, the doors close properly, it doesn't
sag with both doors open when someone sits in it, the mags are good period
items and suit the car, the softtop is in great shape and it came with a
hardtop.
The first job was to put some metal behind the dash, a job that my father did
for me. We fabricated it from a template made up from the existing wood and
welded it in without any major dramas. At the same time my father strengthened
the steering column mount, as it was in danger of seperating from the body.
After that the wiring was partially tackled, removing all the burnt wires and
making sure that everything worked. There is still a fair bit of work that
needs to be done, but that is for later.
The car was then on active duty, and got driven as often as possible. The
brakes were next to useless, so I started tracking down the parts I needed to
convert it to GT6 brakes. What an expensive exercise that turned out to be. I
rang a supposedly reputable firm who had all the parts I required - GT6
uprights, hubs and discs as well as a complete rotoflex rearend. Much money was
handed over and the parts were awaited in anticipation. I nearly cried when
they arrived.
Everything was in pretty average condition, to be expected when bought from a
wreckers. The problem was the adjustable radius arms were missing, one of the
uprights was bent, the stub axles were pitted and scarred and as I later found
out one of the hubs had spun a bearing. The long and short of the ensuing
negotiations was that I got a new hub, and a suggestion to heat the upright,
bend it straight and quench it in oil. Needless to say I was less than happy
and will never purchase goods from him again.
So I now had to find new uprights and stub axles at least, and after many phone
calls managed to find someone who had brand new uprights and stub axles dirt
cheap! It pays to ring around. So I had all the brakes reconditioned, bought
new polyurethane bushes and bearings, had all the suspension parts
sand-blasted, and they all sat there until this year (2000) as I never quite
got around to fitting them... My excuse - I was having too much fun driving the
car.
This year I finally decided to bite the bullet, and at least rebuild the front
suspension. Everything was removed and checked, and the only major problem
found was that both lower wishbones had elongated holes were the trunnion
mounts. With much trepidation I started the ring around. This time I managed to
find a firm who had fair prices, and the parts were exactly as described - I
was stoked!
The reassembly began with all new polyurethane bushes, new bolts, new bearings
and the discs and calipers that had been reconditioned about 4 years ago. With
only a few minor hurdles (fitting those blasted felt hub seals and coming up
short on one 'D' washer) it was all reassembled and quite amazingly all seemed
to work. Which was just as well as about 3 days after finishing my girlfriend
and I completed our move from rental accommodation to our own home. There are
still some things that need to be sorted at the front-end, such as the fact it
is still using Spitfire brake lines and mounting points, and I had to wind in
the tie-rod ends a fair way to remove the tire splay so who knows what the
alignment is like. For now though I'm having to turn my attention to things
house related, but I'm sure that will change as summer approaches.
There is still a lot of work to be done on my hybrid - the synchros are going,
the body and interior are very rough and I still need to fit the GT6 rear-end,
but I still enjoy having it around.
Some earlier articles on my Spit 6
Issue 1 - Feature car
Issue 1 - Restoration
Progress? Nov 2003
Help on the history of my Spitfire
Additional Items
Work List - Past & Future Modifications
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